How to feel 10 years younger

How to feel10 years younger

From the crisp mountain air of St Moritz to the 800-year-old hot water spring in Bad Ragaz, Kishore Rathod tries the best of what Switzerland has to offer in his quest for rejuvenation

St Moritz has all the trappings of a modern city, with five-star hotels, luxurious villas, and stores selling brands like Jimmy Choo and Cartier. Yet, with a population of just 5,000, it calls itself a village. Among those who have homes here are the owners of Heineken and Fiat. And steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal’s villa is at one of the highest points. Our guide Susi, a resident of St Moritz, remarked that even those who don’t have a highly-placed house needn’t fret, because they know eventually they will get there — the only cemetery of the village is on the hill! Walking around the settlement, it quickly becomes apparent that it is a playground of the world’s rich and famous. The pastry chef at the Hauser Chocolatier was happy to demonstrate the making of liqueur chocolates, while the lady in the coffee-and caviar store rued the vanishing of wild caviar (Beluga from Iran is currently the costliest, selling for 700 CHF for a small tin — that’s about Rs42,000). Bemused, we headed for the mountains. We went past the picturesque Pointresina village, spotting mountain goats as we made a pit stop to take in the Diavolezza mountain draped in snow, before reaching the cable car station. Then, in a matter of 10 minutes, we were transported from a lush green landscape at 1,700 metres to a snow-white peak 3,500 metres high. There, a cosy restaurant was a perfect setting for Rudi, our 60-year-old guide, to regale us with mountain tales. From St Moritz, we took a train to the spa resort of Bad Ragaz, built around a natural hot water spring that comes out of a gorge 4km uphill. Over a million litres of water flow down this 800- year-old spring every day, at a consistent temperature of 36.5 degrees Celsius. Kokilaben Ambani is among the rich and the famous who come here to relax. Tamina Therme, the public area of the spa, has half a dozen pools, each with a different temperature of water, from 17 degrees to 36.5 degrees. I let the spring water wash away my stress before heading to the sauna and Swarovski crystal-embellished steam bath. I don’t know if it was the mineral-rich water I drank or the crisp mountain air or my stints in the therm al spa, but I returned home to India feeling 10 years younger, just like the locals in St Moritz had told me I would.